I am doing this with the results from my "blowout" of from my English Cheddar, which turned into a stirred curd Cheddar due to the loose curd. So the recipe was different, but I had about a pound that "blew" out of the bottom of my press while beginning pressing.

I put this excess in my smaller press, no cloth or anything...I was in a hurry and had no more sterilized cloth, and pressed it very lightly (overnight at 4 pounds and then the next day at 10 pounds for another eight hours).

I'm experimenting here, so I took some liberties. I soaked it in a brine solution along with a teaspoon of homemade liquid smoke (I was smoking a rack of pork ribs at the time) and left it there for four hours. I took it out, let it dry for about three hours (until I was going to bed) and then let it soak overnight in some merlot. I took it out the next morning, as it was quite soft and let it dry in the fridge all day. Ok, I forgot about it. It went back into the wine and below is what I have. I may put it back in the wine tonight for one more soak.

Not sure how I will age it. Dry it for a few days and wax it? Or age it as the recipe above says?

OK not the exact recipe but the intent . Good use for the 1 pound of loose curds that extruded from your cheese cloth while pressing your cheddar. The recipe didn't have brine bath before wine bath, assume you did that as you were trying to firm up rind as made from loose poorly set curds? Looks like you were lucky drying cheese in your fridge, when I've tried that overnight the humidity was so low it cracked the cheese by morning, duh!

While the cheese is picking up wine, the wine is also I assume picking up the cheese, hope it doesn't go to waste . . .

For maturing phase, I think the recipe above just wiping with brine solution is good for short term but not for long term as hard to control humidity for that long thus normal olive oil or wax. Reg in his similar wine washed cheese just seems to be re-wine washing . . .

Yes, I put it in a brine bath, made from the whey with the intent of stiffening it up a bit and it seems to have worked. I added the liquid smoke because this was already an unplanned experiment. It was after that that I decided to very loosely follow this recipe.

I may follow the brine washing or follow what reg is doing...oh heck, perhaps alternating both. If it comes out ok, I'll just have to remember what I did if I want to replicate it.

As this started as a very moist, soft curd cheese, I have been trying to handle it very delicately. I have washed it with brine about every other day and then I was getting some surface mold. I cleaned that off, but then I had white marks on my cheese, so, back into the Merlot it went. It's now its a deep purple...wasn't that a band? Oh yeah, "Smoke on the Water," for those of you old enough.

It's starting to firm up. This morning I ightly dry salted it instead of using a brine wash. The picture is a day old, upper left corner

I'm still trying to figure how to complete this cheese. I may just keep doing what I've been doing. I like how it looks and would hate to hide that with wax.

Ok here is my update. I made my caerphilly this week, and pressed it over night. It was then supposed to go into a brine solution for around 6-8 hours, but I wanted to try a port bath as well. I soaked it for 2 hours in the brine, let it dry for around 4-6 hours, then did the port soak for 12-18 hour, then repeated that process three times. Let it dry for around 12 hours, put it in a ziplock bag, and then into the fridge for around 2 weeks.Mine doesn't have the beautiful purple colour the Daggers does, but is a brown colour because of the port.So will let you know in two weeks time how it turns out.Here's hoping,Tracey

Wow, now thats a great looking cheese and nice different colour! When I followed DaggerDoggie & reg I used red wine but I'll admit I do like port better . The pictures on that thread show too red a colour, it's more dark red wine colour, I have to figure out my photography better.

I have no idea how to make Caerphilly in case you wanted to start a new thread with that recipe . . . did you use Anatto as cheese colouring which is why you got that brown colour?

PS: Good idea on using large mortar for your weight, if you have one around of course.

No I didn't use annatto colouring, you can see the colour of the original cheese in the second photo. That was the colour the port sent the cheese. Was hoping for the beautiful purple colour, but I'm happy anyway.

Duh, dummy me, yes I can see the colour of your cheese in picture #2. Mine are definately red-purple, reg has already cut his and posted a picture but I don't remember in which thread, I was surprised that the colour/wine hadn't permeated past the rind.